Of course you can aleways blame the Percocet for anything you say, and you'll be off the hook.

Did you know Ghaddafi has been talking at the UN for over an hour? Think he's saying anything? Where did he stake out his tent?

wv mistieI get mistie thinking of what America will be like when I don't have to worry about POTUS betraying America and its values to tyrants and thugs. Frank Marshall Davis would be proud. Jeremiah Wright is proud. William Ayers is proud.

Will you be able to hobble around right away, or will you need to rent a wheelchair or something?

I ask because when aA co-worker once had both feet operated on for some condition I have mercifully forgotten, she stayed home for weeks. When our workgroup dropped by for a visit, she was scooting around her house in a swivel chair.

Loopy on percocet is a strange, strange place to be... so if you feel like composing poetry or being otherwise creative, feel free to post it! We promise, we'll only be laughing with you. ;) :)

----

Oh, my. Ominous Word Verification entry: herses. Seriously. Not a joke. Not something I want to see come up in the context of medical care either (yes, everyone, I know the proper spelling is "hearses", but still... cold shiver just went down my back).

I wish you have a speedy recovery with as little pain and complications as possible. Luckily you have great health care coverage through your employer, the State of Wisconsin. There are many Americans today who work, often on their feet, with no health care insurance. Consider Ann if you were one of those people. What if you were an assistant manager at a Taco Bell or a stocker at Wal-Mart or a night worker at a nursing home and you were not provided health care insurance. Not only would your toe still be in excruciating pain but you would continue to aggravate the condition because you would have to continue to work on your feet. Does that make sense for our economy and our desire to have a productive workforce? Millions of Americans because they do not have

health insurance put off getting care for conditions like yours. They then end up needing emergency care and often end up not being able to work for extended periods of time.

We need to improve our system of paying for health care and making sure everyone is covered. What are you doing to be part of this solution?

Unrelated to foot surgery, I just now learned that cameras have front and back curtain flashes. That means the flash fires immediately when the shutter opens, or it can fire just as the shutter is closing. This makes a difference for your night-time pictures and for your backfill. Various flash options: slow-sync, red-eye reduction, rear curtain sync, flash fill, and auto (as well as off) are available in specific shooting modes. With advanced cameras you can set the internal flash to act as commander to a slave flash. In that case, the camera releases a flash immediately prior to the shutter opening that signals another flash wirelessly to fire as the shutter opens. That way the camera's flash does not interfere with lighting the subject.

Referencing Obama as "my son," Qaddafi said: "We are happy that a young African Kenyan was voted for and made president. Obama is a glimpse in the dark for the next four years, but I'm afraid we may go back to square one.

"Can the U.S. guarantee after Obama that they'll be a government? We're happy and content if he can stay forever."

If you employee professional staff, like nurses and docs, you generally have to pay health insurance. I would guess that Taco Bell mgt has health insurance. Walmart I think it depends on how long you've been there or possibly how many hours you work.

"More than 94 percent of our associates have health insurance today — either through us or through other coverage. That’s a number we’re proud of, but also one we’re working to increase every day."

Taco Bell Assistant Managers most likely have health insurance as the company recruits based on its "excellent benefits."

www.tacobell.com

The temporary staffing service I worked for (nurses, CNAs) offered health insurance if you wanted to participate. As I recall it was fairly reasonable, although not a platimun policy by any stretch of the imagination. Anyone who thinks the "public" option is going to be a platinum policy is on too much Percocet.

Most people working in nursing homes are not "professional staff, like nurses and docs". Instead, they make around ten dollars an hour and more often than not do not have healthcare. Daycare centers are about the same. These people go to work often sick and untreated when ill. SOme way to take care of our elderly and young!

Next time you visit a nursing home or pick up your kid at a daycare ask those who are caring for your love ones if they have healthcare insurance.

The great thing about statists is that they can completely destroy the insurance market, strangling it through regulatory kudzu, so that no affordable catastrophic insurance is legally available, and then claim The Market Failed and take it over completely.

If you knew facts, rather than making them up, you might be more persuasive. Over 95% of Wal-Mart employees are eligible for Wal-Mart insurance. The ones who are not eligible either have just started work (there is a brief waiting period) or work only a few hours a week. Wal-mart is looking for full time employees who will stay with them. This is why they provide benefits.

So if the employees of Wal-Mart are not insured under the Wal-Mart plan, it's because they choose not to be. They prefer to be in another plan, which is usually a plan of a working partner or spouse. A few actually choose no insurance at all, rather than pay their modest share of the Wal-Mart premium. Wal-Mart tries to discourage this but has no power to compel its employees to be insured.

There is no way that Wal-Mart can force its employees into Badger Care or any other plan if the employee wants to be insured through Wal-Mart.

The mom and pop stores that are supposedly being driven out of business by Wal-Mart? Virtually none of them provide any benefits at all.

"Wal-Mart provides health coverage for 47.4% of its employees, an 8% increase from last year, while 43% of its employees have health coverage through another source and 10% are uninsured, according to a recent company-sponsored survey, Reuters reports (Reuters, 1/11). The survey of more than 200,000 Wal-Mart employees found that 22% of workers receive health benefits under a spouse's plan; nearly 5% are covered under Medicare; and 4% are insured through their parents, school or college. About 2% of employees are covered by Medicaid and 1% are enrolled in other state health insurance programs (Mui/Joyce, Washington Post, 1/11)."

Note again: 1% are covered by other state health insurance.

This article is from 2007. Walmart has a corporate goal of 100% health care coverage for employees. They have moved closer to that goal in 2009.

You don't just enroll in medicaid if you don't like your insurance. You have to be eligible. The vast majority of Wal-Mart employees would not be eligible.

As to dogshit insurance: It isn't the best. (If it were Obama would try to tax it.) Nor is it the worst. But over 1,000,000 Americans choose to work at Walmart. Generally they are pretty pleased to have the jobs. They are pleased to have the insurance, which protects them and their children.

Most of the disapproval of Walmart comes from two sources: ignorance and snobbery. Don't be an ignorant snob, Garage. You are better than that. Stop accepting what others tell you and check out the facts yourself.

Great to see a speedy recovery from your sore toe. Sleep a few days anyway. Watching the "World Governing Body" on TV today reminds us that Ghadaffi and Castro are examples of aging Tyrants. The Government by Tyrants that Obama seems to want more of, like in Honduras, has a big flaw. Without a term limit and a peaceful succession plan the Tyrant at 50 starts to view his qualified successors as threats and has them murdered, and 30 years later when he dies there are no living qualified successors. Please God, do not let our Great Leader Obama stay on World TV for 40 more tears lying about everything. Today it looks like he cannot win reelection in the USA, so why is he so confident anyway?

Meade, how is your new State of Wisconsin health insurance working out for you? Now if only the working poor had the good fortune to marry Ann Althouse!

I am not meaning to pick on Wal-Mart. Many companies are also struggling to afford good health care insurance for their employees. This is doubly true for small businesses. This is why many businesses are supportive of healthcare reform and are trying to be a part of a constructive discussion about it.

It seems Meade and others here lucked out, have theirs and are happy to pretend that everything is just great except for "dat roten guvermint!"

Most people working in nursing homes are not "professional staff, like nurses and docs". Instead, they make around ten dollars an hour and more often than not do not have healthcare. Daycare centers are about the same.

Generally, any place that has a large number of professional staff will have health insurance, regardless of the fact that they have receptionists, cooks and cleaning personnel. The size of the organization and the % of professional staff probably has a lot to do with it. I am curious, and may check at my grandparents assisted living place next time I'm there.

But you did mean to pick on Walmart, Lee. Now you are backing away from it because you were wrong.

Garage--the 2% figure for medicaid comes from the article I quoted earlier in the post, in response to Mr. Lee. Your 5% seems to have come out of thin air.

2% or 5%, the main point is that the criticisms of Walmart that get echo chambered are simply not correct. (There are some valid criticisms, but the ones you made were not among them.)

This is much like Obama supporters' statements that insurance companies drop people when they get sick and start making claims. Simply not true. It's illegal to do that, and a violation of the insurance contracts.

There are plenty of things to improve in the health care delivery system. But any proper treatment starts with a correct diagnosis. Until we get an honest and rational diagnosis of the problems, we will fail at a cure.

L E Lee...You've got it right this time. Everything is alright in healthcare except for That Rotten Government that wants to destroy whatever free market competition is working until we CRY CRISIS and beg to become serfs out of pure frustration. The real crisis starts the day Public Option economically the destroys current American health care and ends the day most people give up and die after waiting 6 months for a needed treatment from non-existent Doctors at non-existent Hospitals , unless you are one of the elite insiders. Why do you believe the nonsense of Obama's unseen Plan? Ask Castro where he has to go for his medical care? That is where Obama and other elite insiders will go for their care. Then visit the real Cuba and see where the Cuban serfs have to go, because that is where you and I will have to go as we sing songs about how much Great Leadre loves us.

Re Meade lucking out. He married Althouse, so that's true. But you don't even know what he's doing for health insurance.

Assume, though, that he is now covered by Althouse's insurance. Why do you seem to resent that, Mr. Lee? She pays for the insurance, either directly through premiums or by a reduction in cash compensation. No doubt the premium goes up when another person is covered. Does Althouse pay that premium? What difference does it make?

If you take a look at the UW web site, you will see that University employees are enrolled in the state plan. They have a large number of choices, mostly of group plans by private insurers. The premiums are substantial, and vary depending on location and which plan is chosen.

Wisconsin in fact has an exemplary health care system. Over 90% of the people in Wisconsin are covered by health insurance. It is done by private insurance, medicaid, medicare and some limited public programs. Most of the coverage is through private plans.

Wisconsin actually shows that an effective insurance program can be created without a gigantic federal bureaucracy. It's expensive, but the people and employers of Wisconsin have chosen it, and refined it over the years.

The Congress is rushing to legislate out of ignorance, based on the assumption that we need an overarching federal solution to heath care problems. The Wisconsin experience proves that this is the wrong approach.

1) traditionalguy, you look like an idiot when you make a stupid strawman argument and blather on about Cuba. Yes, traditionalguy I want to make the USA into Cuba. (Ghost sounds in the background...)

2) Yes, David, Wisconsin has a great progressive tradition in dealing with problems. Wisconsin has shown that a balance can be struck between the private sector being the dominant player with public support and regulation where needed. I am glad I live here. But, we still have working people without health care here in Wisconsin.

David, Even though I am a Wisconsin business owner and taxpayer, I do not "resent" Mr. Althouse being covered by his wife plan. Why would you even reach that conclusion? Instead, I wish everyone were so lucky! Maybe Ann Althouse could be the alternative public option?

"Meade, how is your new State of Wisconsin health insurance working out for you? Now if only the working poor had the good fortune to marry Ann Althouse!"

Maybe it just sounded snarky, and you did not mean it that way. If so, I retract my perception of resentment.

You also say that there are still working poor not covered by health insurance. It's certain that there are some, but how many? Do you have any evidence? It can't be a huge amount given that less than 10% are not covered, and in light of the statistics regarding how many people actually choose to go without health insurance. Why should we overturn the entire health care system, with tens of millions of satisfied customers, when more targeted solutions could deal with the involuntarily uninsured?

Are you willing to share with us how how you pay for your employees' health needs? That might be instructive.

Are you feeling ok Althouse? Did you nap? Was the procedure a success?

We have kind of gotten away from that. On the more contentious subject, I now leave the last word to Lee, if he desires it, and go to cook dinner. I will try to enjoy dinner even though I know that some people still go hungry.

Ah, Penny, I fear you are right. But does Meade have to pay tax on his Ohio income in Wisconsin? If they file separately? I was a Wisconsin taxpayer for over 20 years, when the rates and my income were higher, so I sympathize.

I meant it to be just snarky with no resentment implied.--------------Paying for my employee health plan has gotten more difficult every year that I have been in business. This is especially true when new competitors come into my market and don't provide health care to their employees. I support health care reform not because of the social justice angle (though I get it) but because I think it makes economic sense to deal with the obvious problems that have developed in the marketplace.

Also, I don't think we need to "overturn the entire health care system." Also, that is not what President Obama has proposed. Personally, As I said before, I think substantial improvements can be made without a public option.

Lee, here's a thought for you that is outside of any government intervention. Some of the small businesses in my area formed a consortium with the help of the local chamber of commerce. It increased the pool and saved each of the member companies some money.

R E Lee...Not that you want Cuba re-created here, but the UN government wants it in Honduras. The Democrats want Columbia weakened so that Chevez and his new Russian tanks can conquer all non-Communist states around his Cuba like bastion. It is likely that the UN member states that would be allowed to vote on North and South American issues in a world government would alot world tax monies (collected as CO2 usage fees) so as to only permit the USA to spend an equal amount per capita as neighbor States like Cuba spend. Then ask Joe the Plumber whether he finally understands Obama's plans.

I had heart surgery in May, bill came in right at a cool $200k. I have insurance though so no bankruptcy needed. I would have gotten the surgery with or without insurance, or so my cardiologist and cardiovascular surgeons assure me.

Personally, As I said before, I think substantial improvements can be made without a public option.

Every single Althouse commenter who's on the right (or identifies as a libertarian) agrees with this. Have you been paying ANY attention to the health care discussions that have been going on in the comments here??

If you have, I really can't comprehend why you began the whole discussion with such self-righteous snarkiness.

Pray, accept my Wishes for a compleat Recovey. As Feet are the Foundation of an upright Body, they ought to be kept in the best Repair.

Beneficial as it may be, there is nothing so dread as the Chiurgeon's Knife. As the Ghost of a Gentleman, dead these 260 Years and more, I need hardly tell you that Death too often play'd the Critick to Performances of such Chiurgical Dramas as were acted in the Operating Theatres of my Day.

Fatal as Operations sometimes were, Delay had oft insinuated Death to his next Victim, as I shall relate below.

Attentive Readers will recall Imelda, of whom I previously made Mention in this, your Theatre of Topicks (as I call it). She was the Wife, over-fond of Shoes, of a Brother Officer from the Wars. I think it my Duty to now tell you of that Lady's Alas! unnecessary Death. I set this before you, not from any vicarious Asperity, but as a Warning against Delay.

Imelda was walking with several Friends in the Strand, when she was jostl'd into the Street, just as an heavily-laden Waggon bore down upon her, the Driver asleep, the Horses plodding unawares: An enormous Wheel roll'd over Imelda's Foot, crushing it under the Iron Tyre. She scream’d in Pain, rouzing the Teamster, but in vain; for, her right Foot was bloody & broken.

Imelda was carry’d home by her Friends. After a Physician was sent for, her Husband and I both exclaim'd as if in one Voice, "Mr. Loos!." Mynheer Loos had been a well-regarded, nay, beloved Chiurgeon to a Dutch Regiment known to both Imelda's Husband and myself from the Wars. He had recently set up in London, to our hearty mutual Approbation.

Her Physician having come and administered strong Laudanum, ‘twas quickly decided to carry her to the Chiurgeon; and so we set out, this time with poor Imelda carry’d in a Chair by Two stout Fellows.

Mr. Loos examined her Foot with uncommon Attention, taking great Care to do no further Hurt. At length he said, “Madam, your Case is serious: Your Foot is crush'd beyond the Ability of either Art or Nature to cure. Most of the Bones are broken; and several of the principal Blood Vessels are hopelessly torn. The Circulation of Blood thus impair’d, a Gangrenous Humour is certain to arise, which should poison your entire Body in a few Days, unless you have the Foot off.”

“No!” she cried. “My pretty, little Foot! What shall become of me? I should be an old Crone, hobbling on a Cane! No, I’ll die first!” "That you should do," says the Chiurgeon, "if you delay. For Today your Case is serious. Tomorrow it should become dire; and the Day after, fatal."

Imelda would not be mov'd. Her Husband pleaded; I implor'd; her Relations came and could do no more. Mr. Loos said he could not lawfully operate on an unwilling Patient, and urged that we devote that Evening to convince the Lady to remove her now mortally useless Foot.

Decency forbids me to relate much of the dreadful Events of the next Five Days: Imelda would not budge; Quack Doctors came 'round, selling useless Ointments & Pills; and, in the End, with a black Gangrene spreading up her Leg, Imelda died in agony, her last Words being through her Dælerium, "Do you not think my pretty little Feet fine, Sir?"

When it came Time to dispose of her Effects, her Husband, over the Objections of her Relations, gave most of her Cloaths to the Poor. But, he had her many Shoes sent to his Father's modest Estate, where he made of Bonfire of them, as so many Expressions of fatal Vanity.

My Object, Madam, in relating this sad Tale, is to remind your Audience to not delay necessary Medical Treatment, knowing that such Treatment is soon apt to become scarcer than previously.

L E Lee...Just in, the UN helicopters are Blue now. And their use in the USA are Carbon offset by the credits paid for by donations from generous Arab slave traders and pirates operating in Christian Africa where the local people are worth nothing and deserve to be captured and killed by Allah's worshippers. But have no fear, President Obama says he has a secret plan

You went to the Taco Bell website for your facts? So, the company claims to recruit based on its "excellent benefits." Well it must be true then. No reason for hype there!

But you'll accept what Obama, the no accountability coolness himself, says?

Hahahahahahahahahah a a .. a.a ...

If you went to the TB website, you would have noticed that they actually feature some of their employees BY NAME and location. So, if you want to know what an assistant manager gets at TB --- you are free to go to the website, find her (or other employee's) location, and call the place and ask her.

President Obama has said more than once that a public option is not a critical component that needs to be in the final legislation.

If that were true, then all those townhalls were for nuthin' I guess. Wish Obama had let all of us in on the notion that he wasn't committed to a public option. Save us all a lot of trouble.

Seriously, that's your argument?

Plus, you never really explained why you took a snarky tone to begin with. None of us want a public option either. That's where 90% of the resistance to Obamacare comes from. So your self-righteousness is utterly unwarranted.